Equipment set up

[Duffmyer]

Hi all,

I am hoping someone can help me. A friend of mine and I bought 40g system. It has everything I need.

I have rewired everything, and got the BCS system up and it reads the probs. The only problem is I can not control the heaters. I think it has something to do with the relays. But I am not sure.

Any thougths would be helpful.

 

[Broken Crow]

It's very dark in the case... think you could light it up and take some more pictures? I don't see a single SSR or heatsink and can't read anything on the components. Is this unit complete? Did you buy it new/used or DIY?

 

[whoaru99]

I have rewired everything...

Sometimes the rest of the story helps with troubleshooting.

Rewired from what to what?
Why?
Rest of the story?

 

[Duffmyer]

Yes, I bought it used, and the guy we bought it from built it himself. Thank you for your help.

 

[Broken Crow]

I notice though you signed up last year, this is your first post, so; Belated Welcome to HBT!
..just a tip though: There is no such thing as too much information that pertains to the equipment or process you're asking a question about on here. The more details we know, the quicker we can solve your issues. I can't find a single SSR in the elements path... Please tell us more about it, ..a wiring diagram you used would be great.

 

[Duffmyer]

I notice though you signed up last year, this is your first post, so; Belated Welcome to HBT!
..just a tip though: There is no such thing as too much information that pertains to the equipment or process you're asking a question about on here. The more details we know, the quicker we can solve your issues. I can't find a single SSR in the elements path... Please tell us more about it, ..a wiring diagram you used would be great.

I did not use a diagram, the guy did not have one, I map it out myself based on how it rest was set up. I also do not know what an SSR is. kinda new to this kind of equipment.

it uses a dyer plug, which is where the main power coms from, and that goes to port that is wired to ralys. The computer is than also connected ralys.

Thank you all for any help, I really want to get this up and running.

 

[Broken Crow]

Is there a heatsink on the back of the unit? I can see the element power coming out of some 30A relays plugged into DIN rail mounts, but I can't see any feed from a Solid State Relay. I can see an old Radio Shack proto board, but can't identify the components... I really hope someone didn't try to build their own SSR from scratch and not use a heatsink...I can't see where those wires go. Have you drawn up a wiring diagram that identifies components and routes? If not, then do yourself a favour and take a bit of time to draw it all out. With brewing, there are almost as many ways to brew as there are homebrewers, and with DIY electric systems; Almost as many variants (and levels of experience) as there are DIY'ers.
We can't begin to troubleshoot until we can see all the paths and their connections. Frustrating yeah, but hey; It'll be worth it when you finally sit down and drink the brew you made with it when's it's done.
PS: Don't feel intimidated my the nice clean schematics most people have to download new software to make and post just to avoid embarrassment... a hand drawn one is fine as long is it is complete. ...my own digrams are the stuff of nightmares

 

[Duffmyer]

Is there a heatsink on the back of the unit? I can see the element power coming out of some 30A relays plugged into DIN rail mounts, but I can't see any feed from a Solid State Relay. I can see an old Radio Shack proto board, but can't identify the components... I really hope someone didn't try to build their own SSR from scratch and not use a heatsink...I can't see where those wires go. Have you drawn up a wiring diagram that identifies components and routes? If not, then do yourself a favour and take a bit of time to draw it all out. With brewing, there are almost as many ways to brew as there are homebrewers, and with DIY electric systems; Almost as many variants (and levels of experience) as there are DIY'ers.
We can't begin to troubleshoot until we can see all the paths and their connections. Frustrating yeah, but hey; It'll be worth it when you finally sit down and drink the brew you made with it when's it's done.
PS: Don't feel intimidated my the nice clean schematics most people have to download new software to make and post just to avoid embarrassment... a hand drawn one is fine as long is it is complete. ...my own digrams are the stuff of nightmares

Thank you. Could you please tell me what you mean by SSR? Also, Does this video help?

 

[Bobby_M]

Looks like the original builder chose mechanical relays instead of solid state SSR Probably okay for the HLT but definitely not the boil. To regulate a boil, the element has to pulse on and off

 

[sibelman]

@Duffmyer, a solid state relay (SSR) switches power without a mechanical relay's physical contacts. When a mechanical relay opens or closes on a high-current circuit, arcing occurs that can quickly damage/destroy the contacts. SSRs and other solid state devices are thus strongly preferred for switching heating elements on and off.
It's likely feasible and not too expensive to revise your control panel to use SSRs instead of mechanical relays, but that could prove somewhat difficult. Because there are real risks dealing with electricity, especially at higher voltages and currents, ya gotta take care and gain knowledge before proceeding.

Especially as the existing setup ain't working, it makes more sense to revise it to use SSRs than to fix whatever is wrong with the relays.

Tracing the wiring and producing a schematic diagram should be your first step. It's probably impossible for others to fully suss out this panel, even with your improved photos.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Unless you know someone with CAD skills to draw up a schematic, get some graph paper and sketch it the old fashion way.

Graph paper has easy to draw on squares imprinted on the paper so it help make your sketch easier to layout. Not entirely necessary, but helps for a cleaner look.

 

[IDMaynard]

Here is a typical setup for an HLT and Boil Kettle using mechanical relays at power on and SSR's to control the duty cycle from the PID controller. As others mentioned the solid state relay (SSR) are electronically controlled switching devices that use low voltage to open/close the "switch" on the high voltage side. They get quite warm so the need heat sinks attached to them so they do not burn out. They also "leak" so it is critical that there is a mechanical relay along the voltage path. You can find wiring schematics at https://shop.theelectricbrewery.com/ to use as a basis for your system.

 

[sibelman]

@Duffmyer, @IDMaynard's post suggests the possibility of skipping figuring out your current setup, and instead reusing its components in a new design. Perhaps a fork in the road... a substantial project either way.

 

[Broken Crow]

Hey; I was just hunting around and found this guide for a BCS based panel, ..might be helpful:
http://guide.ebrew.supply/
..Please keep us updated.